Nicholas Taylor a.k.a DJ High Priest: An Interview (Part 1)

A Living Legend of 1980s New York
Nicholas Taylor a.k.a DJ High Priest Interview (Part 1)

The 1980s New York cultural scene was a constant incubator of new ideas.
There was a man at the forefront of that scene, creating a whirlwind.
He joined the legendary avant-garde band "Gray" with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Michael Holman. Later, he participated as a DJ in downtown's first hip-hop parties alongside Afrika Bambaataa and Jazzy Jay, earning his place in history as the first white DJ to scratch.
Furthermore, he was a beatmaker for the band "The Generation" with Vincent Gallo and others, and for "Death Comet Crew," a band that, after 20 years, continues to be active today.
Nicholas Taylor, also known as DJ High Priest, a man called a living legend of 1980s New York.
He also worked as a photographer, capturing and preserving moments from his time with Basquiat in the legendary band "Gray" during the 80s. His most striking works are perhaps the eccentric portraits of the late Basquiat.
We asked him, a veteran of that era of cultural upheaval, to briefly look back on his life, focusing on how he got involved in music and the New York cultural scene of the 80s.

Text by Hidefumi Kaneko (This Magazine)Photo by Jamandfix

—How did you get involved in music?

In '69, at 16, I bought a toy guitar from a Sears catalog. It was a very cheap $10 item, and it looked pretty flimsy (laughs). So I painted it, and it started to make a sound like an acoustic guitar, which I played with a lot.
Actually, I had never played guitar before. That's because I wasn't in a situation where I could afford a real one. My family was very strict Catholic, and they wouldn't let me pursue music at all. So I had to make do with things like that instead of a real guitar.

When I turned 18, I finally bought a Gibson electric guitar and practiced diligently, but I just couldn't play it well.
Later, when I was 20, I started attending art school, where I met a Japanese student named Rumio Sato. He was an incredibly talented musician and a very skilled guitarist.

Bossa nova, classical, folk, jazz – everything. So I tried to learn guitar from him and worked hard, but it still didn't work out (laughs). But that's how I got involved in music.

Incidentally, Sato-san's family lived in Sendai, and I was invited there once. That was about 30 years
ago.
I stayed in Japan for six months during that time, and my daily routine was learning guitar from him and listening to him play. Also, traveling around Japan with him exposed me to so much culture I didn't know, which was a very important experience for me.
But that experience later gave me the courage to go to New York.

—Was this before you started DJing?

Yes! Still before.
Back then, I liked jazz and fusion, artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

A Living Legend of 1980s New York<br>Nicholas Taylor a.k.a DJ High Priest Interview (Part 1)

—Where were you born?

I was born in Belleville, a town near St. Louis in southern Illinois. It was a beautiful town with a French-like streetscape. I went to college nearby, and that's where I met Rumio.

—Did you go to New York immediately after your six-month stay in Japan?

No, I ran out of money during my stay in Japan, so I returned to St. Louis and worked for about a year. During that time, I also traveled in Europe for three months. After that, I moved to New York.
When I arrived in New York, the first thing I did was join a punk band.
Not as a member, but I was invited to play guitar a few times during their rehearsals.

That year, I met Jean-Michel Basquiat for the first time at a nightclub called "The Mudd Club."Jean-Michel BasquiatI took his photo then.
The band "Gray" was initially formed by Michael Holman and Basquiat,Michael Holmanand they invited me to join.

I was invited when the three of us went to a restaurant called "Kiev" on 7th Street in the East Village. That place was open 24 hours, so after hanging out at The Mudd Club, I often went there with the members of "Gray" and other friends.

Speaking of which, there was an interesting episode at that restaurant.
After we all finished our meals and the plates were cleared, we ordered coffee. The waitresses' shifts changed every morning at 5 AM, and the previous staff would mostly be gone. So, we couldn't know what had been ordered without looking at the bill.

At the time, we didn't have much money, so we hid the food bill and took only the new coffee bill to the register. In other words, we ate our fill for the price of a single coffee (laughs).

Actually, we could do the same thing at another restaurant called "Dave's Branch Inn" along Canal Street, so we alternated between that place and "Kiev," doing this almost every night.
Back then, a cup of coffee cost 25 cents, so even eating a lot, it was $1 for four people. Sometimes we'd do this with about ten friends for about two months straight.
But one day, the police actually showed up (laughs).

We had been coming to the restaurant too often, so the staff recognized our faces and called the police. We apologized profusely to the restaurant staff and managed to avoid being handed over to the police, getting off with just a ban from the establishment. I feel bad for the people at the restaurant.
But I remember Basquiat getting yelled at quite a bit that day for some reason.

(To be continued in Part 2)

Nicholas Taylor a.k.a DJ High Priest
(Nicholas Tyler / DJ High Priest)

DJ / Photographer.
A member of the New York avant-garde band "GRAY," which included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vincent Gallo, and Michael Holman. He is also the DJ and beatmaker for "Death Comet Crew," a cult-favorite no wave/hip-hop band active since the late 80s and still performing energetically.
Also known as the DJ for N.Y.C. Breakers and the first white DJ to scratch.
He is a man called the "Living Legend of New York," with many facets, including his work as a photographer.
http://www.djhighpriest.com/